TBR Football

Rodrigo Bentancur has less than 12 months remaining on his Tottenham Hotspur contract, which will be a concern for Spurs supporters.

However, TBR Football understands that Tottenham have held talks with Bentancur over a new deal, and Thomas Frank is pushing for the deal to get done.

The North London club are planning to accelerate these talks to avoid the situation running into the new year and allowing other clubs to enter the frame.

Frank really likes Bentancur and is hoping that the Lilywhites can resolve his future in North London by agreeing on fresh terms.

Tottenham fans delighted by Rodrigo Bentancur contract talks

Tottenham Hotspur fans are delighted by the news that the club are holding talks with Rodrigo Bentancur over a new contract.

Many feel that the Uruguayan is actually quite ‘underrated’ amongst their fellow supporters, but are happy to see that the club clearly rate him highly.

Newly appointed CEO Vinai Venkatesham has been placed in charge of negotiations over new contracts, and Bentancur is one of the players he’s talking to.

As TBR Football exclusively revealed on Thursday morning, Tottenham are also set to offer Micky van de Ven a new deal, amid interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Over the summer, Tottenham renewed Cristian Romero’s contract, along with Djed Spence’s, and now they hope to add Van de Ven and Bentancur to that list.

Tottenham fans have now taken to social media to hail the midfielder and are adamant that he is deserving of a new contract.

One fan said: “Bentaaaa! Loved by every coach, but some people in this fanbase don’t rate him…”

“Bentancur is truly one of Spurs’ top midfielders. Please extend his contract,” added another.

There were further calls for the deal to get done: “I think Bentancur will shine even more under Frank, so a renewal is a must!”

Finally, another fan claimed: “Hopefully, this gets wrapped up quickly now, and another first-teamer is tied down to a long contract.”

The 28-year-old will be able to start talking to foreign clubs in January, so Spurs will want to avoid that from happening.

Atletico Madrid wanted Bentancur ahead of the summer, and could well be a strong contender for his signature should he become available.

Rodrigo Bentancur impresses for Uruguay over the international break

Bentancur impressed for Uruguay over the international break as he completed 90 minutes against both Peru and Chile.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were held to a 0-0 draw with Chile, before thrashing Peru 3-0, leaving them in a strong position to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.

The 28-year-old remains such a key figure for his nation and once again proved why Spurs cannot afford to lose him on a free transfer.

Tottenham are well stocked in midfield, especially with young talents, but Bentancur can be a good guide for them.

TBR Football has assessed whether we could see any more dramatic changes in the structure of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club after Daniel Levy stepped down as chairman.

Tottenham Hotspur recently released a statement confirming that ENIC had rejected two offers to sell the club and reaffirmed their stance that the club is not for sale.

Meanwhile, the Lewis Family have been making their ambitions clear by claiming they want ‘more wins more often’ following Levy’s departure, suggesting for now, they are going nowhere.

So to assess the current lay of the land in terms of Tottenham’s ownership and whether it could change anytime soon, TBR Football spoke to the site’s finance expert, Adam Williams, about Levy, the Lewis Family and that reported £3.75bn valuation.

Daniel Levy’s role in Tottenham’s ownership made clear

Tottenham supporters noticed that whilst Daniel Levy would be stepping down as chairman, Spurs’ statement confirmed that there would be no changes in the ownership of the club.

This, therefore, raised concerns that Levy would still be associated with the club, but to clarify, the 63-year-old’s stake is in ENIC, rather than directly in Tottenham.

Williams told TBR Football: “Daniel Levy doesn’t directly hold a stake in Spurs. Instead, he owns a 29 per cent interest in ENIC, which in turn owns about 85 per cent of Tottenham. So he couldn’t directly sell his stake in the club to a third party, but he could sell his stake in ENIC, which is based in the Bahamas, privately.

“In theory, there are no restrictions in terms of who he can sell to. It’s his asset, so he can do as he pleases, even if it’s someone the Lewis family isn’t happy with. The only exception is if there is something contractual that states he would need to get board approval, but there isn’t anything statutory that could prevent it, as far as I’m aware.”

Following his departure after almost 25 years at the helm of the club, it will now be interesting to see whether the 63-year-old looks to sell this stake in an attempt to realise some of the value of his investment.

“Whether he wants to sell is another matter entirely. He has been seeking a buyer for several years – that much is a matter of public record. The statement they have issued says Spurs aren’t ’for sale’, but it doesn’t say they don’t want minority investment. They have said in their own accounts that they are seeking investment of some description,” added TBR Football’s finance expert.

“What we don’t know is whose equity they were planning to sell within that. Was it Levy’s, the Lewis family’s, a combination, or could they issue fresh shares and dilute their own stakes?

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Levy was looking to realise some of the value of his own investment. His wealth is wrapped up in Tottenham to a much, much greater extent than the Lewis family’s is in the club. The Lewis family’s wealth is in Tavistock, which owns Spurs but also dozens of other businesses that are more profitable and valuable.

“Incidentally, Josh Levy, Daniel’s son, is co-CEO of Tavistock, which is ENIC’s parent company. That’s an interesting layer.”

Tottenham’s reported £3.75bn valuation is deemed ‘too high’

In order to facilitate a sale in the near future, the reported £3.75bn valuation of the North London club will need to drop.

It is believed that Levy valued Tottenham at £3.75bn, which made talk of a takeover unrealistic, given that this demand was quite unreasonable.

Williams has been told by many in the world of football finance that this valuation is ‘too high’, with deals for Manchester United and Chelsea backing that up.

“Levy reportedly valued the club at £3.75bn, though we don’t know whether that was really his appraisal or ENIC’s. Either way, it’s too high. That’s the opinion of almost everyone I’ve spoken to in that world,” stated Williams.

“For context, £3.75bn is not far off what Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal for a quarter of Man United valued them at – and they’re one of the top three football brands in the world. Spurs are big but not that big. Yes, the stadium is one of the best in the world, but they have lost money since they moved into it.

“As an investor, you’re looking for where the return is. I don’t see it at £3.75bn. The fact that the Glazers couldn’t sell at the £6bn they wanted and the feeling in the market is that Todd Boehly and Clearlake have overpaid for Chelsea, says a lot.

“I think it’s quite clear that Levy jumped before he was pushed, but the timing is a little strange. And now, they have borrowed about £90m from Macquarie, an Australian lender, which presumably is needed to meet running costs in the immediate short term. That doesn’t strike me as the type of thing you’d do if you’re anticipating a huge investment, either from a new minority partner or a naming rights deal. At least, not in the near future.

“It’s also somewhat at odds with the reports we’ve seen suggesting the owners are going to invest £100m. ENIC could have loaned the club that amount, and Spurs wouldn’t have to pay any interest.”

Ange Postecoglou is the new Nottingham Forest boss – and he could now unleash a striker recently targeted by Tottenham Hotspur.

Evangelos Marinakis has made two major decisions at Nottingham Forest this week, and you could argue that both were actually fairly predictable.

Nuno Espirito Santo was axed as Forest boss in the early hours of Tuesday morning, following weeks of tension with Marinakis.

Marinakis is a big fan of Ange Postecoglou, and it was little surprise to see the Australian named as Nuno’s successor mere hours after his sacking.

Postecoglou has landed Nick Montgomery as part of his coaching staff, alongside a number of other former Spurs coaches, and is now preparing for this weekend’s clash with Arsenal.

Ange Postecoglou can now unleash Arnaud Kalimuendo at Nottingham Forest

How Postecoglou fares at Forest will be fascinating, given that they thrived in a fairly low block and with a focus on counter-attacking football.

Postecoglou’s style of football is virtually the polar opposite of Nuno’s, and that could mean major changes to how Forest line up.

Former Spurs target Morgan Gibbs-White should still play a key role, but Chris Wood could be under threat.

Wood has been a brilliant goalscorer at the City Ground, but Forest snapped up Arnaud Kalimuendo from Stade Rennais in August.

Kalimuendo looks to be a great fit for Postecoglou in terms of his penalty box prowess and ability to press from the front.

Wood certainly isn’t as mobile as Kalimuendo and may not be the best fit for the pressing play that Postecoglou seeks at the top end of the pitch.

Kalimuendo hit 17 league goals for Rennes last season, but has only played 20 minutes across two substitute appearances for Forest.

The 23-year-old is looking for his big chance in the Premier League, and it may well come under Postecoglou, who may see shades of his former strikers Dominic Solanke and Kyogo Furuhashi in aspects of Kalimuendo’s play.

Forest clearly see a bright future for Kalimuendo, and while it may take some time for him to emerge as he settles in, the Frenchman could become Forest’s first-choice striker after this managerial change.

Tottenham Hotspur eyed Arnaud Kalimuendo

Postecoglou should be excited to work with Kalimuendo, and Forest will be delighted to have secured his services.

Reports over the summer suggested that Tottenham Hotspur – Postecoglou’s former club – were interested in Kalimuendo over the summer.

Spurs made enquiries into signing Kalimuendo, who was raised in the Paris Saint-Germain youth ranks.

Forest managed to win the race, but another French forward ended up in North London as Tottenham snapped up Randal Kolo Muani.

Postecoglou could have easily been watching Kalimuendo from afar in a Spurs shirt, but he will instead be in charge of his development at Forest – and will look to turn him into a Premier League star.

TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Tottenham Hotspur have internally discussed the possibility of handing Micky van de Ven a wage rise.

The defender is currently contracted to the club until 2029, but the North London club are ready to recognise the progress he has made since joining.

The 24-year-old is now widely considered to be one of the finest central defenders in Europe, and Spurs are keen to make him a key part of their future.

Van de Ven and Cristian Romero have a great partnership, and having just seen the latter commit his future to the club, they now hope the Dutch international will follow suit.

Exclusive: Tottenham ready to double Micky van de Ven’s wages

Tottenham Hotspur are willing to more than double Micky van de Ven’s wages, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

Van de Ven currently earns a reported £50,000-per-week and his new deal could take his wage to over £100,000-per-week.

Recently, Tottenham made Romero the highest-paid player at the club following the departure of their previous top earner, Son Heung-min.

Spurs are aware that Van de Ven is worthy of the wage bump, given that his current deal means he is way below market value.

The North London club are also aware that both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are huge admirers, whilst Chelsea also have him on their radar.

With that in mind, Vinai Venkatesham is ready to open dialogue with Van de Ven about the prospect of a bumper new deal.

The club’s newly appointed CEO has been tasked with renewing several players’ contracts, with Tottenham currently in talks with Rodrigo Bentancur, as TBR Football exclusively revealed.

Micky van de Ven is a big fan of Thomas Frank

The appointment of Thomas Frank has been a brilliant decision so far from Spurs, as the Dane is clearly well-liked by many of the top players.

Van de Ven has been impressed by Frank and claims that he is quickly getting his message across at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Even at this point, everybody knows what the gaffer expects and everybody just does it, I have the feeling that he has his way of playing and he’s translated quite quickly to the group,” said Van de Ven.

Tottenham Hotspur delivered the shock news that Daniel Levy would be stepping down as chairman after 25 years, but the Lewis Family are preparing more changes.

Daniel Levy is no longer the chairman of Tottenham, with Peter Charrington coming in as non-executive chairman, and Vinai Venkatesham having been appointed CEO.

Tottenham fans were shocked by Levy’s departure, but they will be hoping that this is the start of a new successful era at their football club.

The Lewis Family are hoping that will be the case too and are ready to make a key move which could delight fans and Thomas Frank.

The Lewis Family could be set to inject cash into Tottenham

The Lewis Family could be ready to put money into Tottenham Hotspur and have told the club’s new-look board it’s up to them how it’s spent, according to Kaveh Solhekol.

Currently, Spurs have the lowest wages-to-turnover ratio in the Premier League at 42 per cent, but that could be set to change.

The North London club’s new CEO, Vinai Venkatesham, could well play a key role in helping decide where that money is spent.

Tottenham appointed Venkatesham over the summer following his departure from North London rivals Arsenal.

Solhekol told Sky Sports: “A lot of Tottenham fans complain about the fact that they don’t spend as much money on players as their rivals or pay the kind of wages their rivals pay, now that could be set to change because Tottenham’s majority holders, The Lewis Family, could be ready to put more money into the club.

“How would that extra money be spent? Well, that would be up to the new leadership team at Tottenham because they have been told what you need to do is deliver more success on the pitch.

“If they decide that the best way to use that money is to pay more wages, because at the moment, Tottenham’s wages to turnover ratio is the lowest in the Premier League, 42 per cent.

“If they believe we need to pay players higher wages or we need to spend more in the transfer market, then I think they will be backed to do that.”

Just after Levy’s departure, the Lewis Family made their ambition clear, with reports claiming they wanted ‘more wins more often’.

Spurs supporters will be delighted to see their owners finally showing real ambition and will hope to see that start from January.

Tottenham could return for Savinho in January

There was a clear change in the calibre of players Spurs targeted over the summer, with the likes of Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Savinho was another key target for the Lilywhites over the summer, but Manchester City were unwilling to let him go, despite Tottenham’s best efforts.

But TBR Football understands that Tottenham could well return for Savinho during the next transfer window as they continue to flex their new financial muscle.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham Hotspur are planning to accelerate contract talks with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

Thomas Frank has been impressed by Bentancur, as TBR Football has revealed, and the new Spurs boss is keen to reward him with a new deal.

Alan Shearer claims Bentancur ‘dominated’ Man City alongside Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr in their 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

Bentancur, who cost Tottenham £21m, has featured in all four of Frank’s matches at the club and is quickly becoming a key part of his plans in North London.

Exclusive: Vinai Ventaktesham is working on Rodrigo Bentancur’s contract

Vinai Ventaktesham has been tasked with sorting several Tottenham Hotspur contracts, and he is currently working on Rodrigo Bentancur’s new deal, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

Ventaktesham arrived at Tottenham over the summer and now holds a prominent role at the club following Daniel Levy’s departure last week.

Frank has made it clear that Bentancur is a key part of his plans, and the club’s new CEO is working hard to ensure he commits his future to Spurs.

Now the transfer window is shut, the North London club are accelerating these talks and hope to have the deal wrapped up by January.

The Uruguayan international’s current deal has less than 12 months remaining, hence the urgency to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

Back in May, TBR Football revealed that some at Tottenham viewed Bentancur as captain material, but his close friend Cristian Romero was selected by Frank instead.

Recently, Romero also signed a new contract at Tottenham, showing that the club are certainly heading in a positive direction under Frank.

Rodrigo Bentancur to help nurture Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr and Archie Gray

The Lilywhites have an array of talented young midfielders coming through at Hotspur Way in Lucas Bergvall, Sarr and Archie Gray.

Sarr once again proved how talented he is with two incredible performances for AFCON champions, Senegal, over the international break.

The midfielder netted in wins over DR Congo and Sudan, with his goal against the former being a stoppage-time winner in World Cup qualifying.

Therefore, having experienced players like Bentancur and Palhinha to guide youngsters like Sarr will be so useful for Frank and his staff.

Djed Spence made his England debut on Tuesday evening against Serbia as the Tottenham Hotspur defender’s rise continues.

Spence has taken Destiny Udogie’s place in the team at Tottenham, showing just how good the 24-year-old has been this season.

The defender’s rise over the last year has been seriously inspirational, having gone from being out of Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to an England international.

Rio Ferdinand has been so impressed with the Spurs star and has made a big claim about him ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Rio Ferdinand names Djed Spence as England’s best one-vs-one defender

Ferdinand believes that Djed Spence is now England’s best one-versus-one defender and is backing him to go to the World Cup next summer.

Spence made his England debut against Serbia, coming off the bench in the Three Lions’ 5-0 win on Tuesday evening.

The former Manchester United star is now backing Spence to make Thomas Tuchel’s squad and take Kyle Walker’s place.

Asked about whether he would take Walker to the World Cup, Ferdinand told Rio Presents: “If you’re going to play three centre backs, I would, but if you aren’t, then I wouldn’t.

“I think Djed Spence is primed and ready to take over the Kyle Walker role. He can play right and left back, and if you play right of the three, he’s so quick he can play right of the three.

“He is the number one one-versus-one defender in the England squad right now – no one comes near him.”

Recently, Spence signed a new contract with Tottenham, and it was thoroughly deserved given his hard work over the past year.

Djed Spence reacts to making England debut vs Serbia

Spence has admitted that making his England debut against Serbia was the ‘proudest day’ of his life, having dreamt about the moment for so long.

Spence wrote on his Instagram account: “Today is arguably the greatest and proudest day of my life. Honoured to make my England debut. A day I’ve dreamt of all my life and now has become a reality. God is the greatest!”

Spurs legend Harry Kane presented him with his legacy cap after the game and hailed him for the struggles he went through to become an England player.

“We had a new debut today. I asked to do this because I saw this player three or four years ago at Tottenham, and he had to go through a lot, he had to keep his head up, he had to work hard, and now he’s an England player,” said Kane.

“He fully deserves this. I’m a little bit emotional because I know how much it takes to get here, and I saw what it was like; it was tough for you. Credit to you, your family, everyone involved, you deserve this one.”

Richarlison returned to the starting line-up for Brazil against Bolivia, but it was not a successful evening for the Tottenham Hotspur star.

Thomas Frank won’t be best pleased to see how the Brazilian number nine fared during the international break, especially after his poor display against Bournemouth.

As TBR Football exclusively revealed, Frank is a big fan of Richarlison, but there is one issue he must fix, and that is the striker’s lack of consistency.

The Brazilian media have been assessing Richarlison’s latest display for Selecao, and it’s fair to say it doesn’t make for great reading.

Tottenham’s Richarlison disappoints for Brazil vs Bolivia

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison was disappointing in Brazil’s defeat to Bolivia, and the Brazilian media have heavily criticised his performance.

The striker had made an impressive start to the season, however, Richarlison did disappoint against Bournemouth and has now struggled with Brazil.

Tottenham signed Randal Kolo Muani, which means he now faces stern competition for his spot in Spurs’ line-up.

The 28-year-old’s latest display for Brazil won’t have done him any favours, as he showed the inconsistency which has seen him receive much criticism in the past.

The striker was hauled off after just 61 minutes as he struggled to make much happen up top and was replaced by Chelsea’s Joao Pedro.

GE Globo gave him a 5/10 and wrote: “He was rarely called upon. On his only chance, in the 37th minute of the first half, he controlled the ball, burst into the box, and struck hard, but the ball deflected off the defender.

“He left the game during the first substitution, in the 17th minute of the second half. He has remained goalless for the national team since the World Cup in Qatar.”

Ben Foster has slammed Richarlison’s inconsistency, and, unfortunately, the Brazilian international is proving him right with his latest run of games.

Randal Kolo Muani’s chances of starting for Tottenham vs West Ham

Kolo Muani could be thrown straight into the Tottenham team against West Ham United, having spent the international break training at Hotspur Way.

The Frenchman hasn’t played since the FIFA Club World Cup, but that means he should be fresh and raring to go at the London Stadium.

The 26-year-old was seemingly signed as back-up for Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, but there is a good chance he could actually replace both strikers.

Nottingham Forest have made the first managerial change of the new Premier League season after hiring Ange Postecoglou.

Nuno Espirito Santo is out as Nottingham Forest boss, and while the timing was a little surprising, the end result had been on the cards.

Evangelos Marinakis has weighed up replacements for Nuno since August, after the then-Forest boss admitted a breakdown in his relationship with Marinakis.

Marinakis is a big fan of Ange Postecoglou and has now managed to bring the Australian to the City Ground.

Postecoglou left Tottenham Hotspur over the summer despite winning the Europa League, as a torrid Premier League campaign proved his undoing.

Nottingham Forest’s PSR situation as Ange Postecoglou arrives

Postecoglou was able to spend on the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke during his time at Spurs.

Results were mixed, and Postecoglou now inherits a Forest squad that underwent major changes in August.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Nicolo Savona, and Dilane Bakwa have all joined Forest in recent weeks.

Postecoglou may fancy some spending money of his own ahead of the January transfer window, but TBR Football’s football finance expert Adam Williams believes there could be some issues on the horizon.

Williams believes that Forest are unlikely to face any problems with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Postecoglou was given a healthy budget at Tottenham, both in terms of transfer fees and wages.

Similar spending is unlikely at Forest, but PSR seemingly won’t be a problem for the new boss in the near future.

“There’s a few different things we’re considering when we talk about FFP or PSR,” said Williams.

“PSR only applies in the Premier League. Under that system, Forest aren’t allowed to lose any more than £105m over a rolling three-year period. In previous campaigns, including the one in which they were adjudged to have breached, the limit was lower because they’d been in the EFL during the rolling three-year period. The EFL has a lower loss limit.

“This is PSR on the domestic level. Here, I think Forest are fine. The £67m they lost in 2022-23 is now no longer part of the calculation, plus they made a profit in 2023-24 after player sales. Looking at their wage bill, amortisation costs and other expenses compared to their projected revenue, they are going to have returned to a loss in 2024-25, but not one big enough to jeopardise their PSR compliance for the assessment window up until the end of that season. That will be confirmed in January. And from 2025-26, they have the full £105m allowance.

“So they are okay on the domestic level, although they certainly won’t be able to spend at the levels Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham did – and that’s both in terms of wages and transfer fees. There was a narrative that Spurs were frugal, but in isolation they were registering nearly £140m in amortised transfer costs during his first year at the club and carrying a wage bill which, despite it being the Premier League’s smallest as a proportion of revenue, was still one of the biggest in the world at £222m.

“Spurs had lots of headroom under both Premier League PSR and UEFA’s financial rules. Forest are okay on PSR, but UEFA’s rules are much trickier,” he added.

Nottingham Forest could face issues with UEFA

Forest look set to face issues with UEFA’s financial rules, both with the Football Earnings rule and the Squad Cost ratio rule.

Williams believes that Forest are bracing for breaches on both fronts, but Postecoglou may not be seriously impacted, with Forest potentially able to agree a settlement and move on.

“They’re limited to losing about £75m for the three-season period, I believe,” said Williams on Forest’s potential issues with UEFA.

“And that’s calculated up until the season they qualified for Europe, i.e up until the end of 2024-25. Even excluding PSR-exempt costs like academy and women’s team investment, it’s going to have been difficult to get within that threshold. UEFA might also revise down some of the profits on the swap deals they did last summer. What’s more, there isn’t the option to do the kind of financial jiggery-pokery that we’ve seen Chelsea, Villa, and Everton do to bypass Premier League rules, because UEFA discounts profits on tangible asset sales like stadiums or the training ground.

“There’s also the Squad Cost ratio rule at UEFA level, which limits Forest to spending 70 per cent of their revenue plus player sale profits on first-team wages and amortisation costs. That’s an annual test, not a season-by-season one, so Forest will be assessed for 2025. That means the costs of dismissing Nuno and hiring Ange will hit them there. I don’t think they will pass either of those tests personally, though we can’t say for certain. The Squad Cost rule in particular seems a bridge too far.

“But in terms of how that affects Postecoglou, I don’t think it will make a huge difference. Forest will probably take the fine, agree a settlement with UEFA and then move on. There could well be a similar system about to be rolled out in the Premier League by that stage next year, incidentally. And in terms of what they can or can’t do in January, if you’re going to breach anyway, it’s probably a case of: in for a penny, in for a pound,” he added.

Ange Postecoglou will now have the chance to face Tottenham Hotspur twice this season, after becoming the new Nottingham Forest boss.

Tottenham Hotspur axed Ange Postecoglou in June, despite the Australian ending the club’s trophy drought by winning the Europa League.

Postecoglou’s exit divided opinion, as Tottenham were dreadful in the Premier League last season, but ended the campaign with a trophy.

The Australian is now back in English football after Nottingham Forest axed Nuno Espirito Santo in the first managerial sacking of the Premier League season.

Evangelos Marinakis is a big fan of Postecoglou and has now appointed him as the new Forest boss with immediate effect.

Matt Wells’ future at Tottenham Hotspur after Ange Postecoglou’s move to Nottingham Forest

As luck would have it, Postecoglou’s first game will come against Arsenal this weekend.

The Australian will hope to spring a real surprise at the Emirates Stadium, though there are bound to be teething problems.

Postecoglou’s style of play is completely different to Nuno’s, meaning his approach will need to change, or the Forest squad will need to adapt to a new philosophy.

Strong coaching will be needed in order to deliver Postecoglou’s ideas on the training pitch, and reports suggest that Mile Jedinak and Nick Montgomery will join Forest.

However, The Telegraph claim that Spurs coach Matt Wells is considered unlikely to follow Postecoglou to the City Ground.

Wells was a key part of Tottenham’s coaching staff under Postecoglou and took the lead on defensive coaching at Spurs.

Postecoglou rated Wells highly at Tottenham, but the 36-year-old’s next move could be as a head coach elsewhere.

That potential next step is ‘one of the reasons’ why Wells is expected to stay at Tottenham and overlook the chance to reunite with Postecoglou.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Matt Wells may eye EFL job

Wells is already a key part of Tottenham’s coaching staff, and he would be forgiven for feeling that a move to Forest would be a sideways step right now.

Instead, Wells may look to continue his work with Tottenham and then target a head coaching role.

Chris Davies left Tottenham to become Birmingham City boss last summer, before Ryan Mason moved on to West Bromwich Albion.

That means two highly-rated Tottenham coaches have secured EFL jobs, and Wells may see a similar pathway for himself.

Enfield-born Wells is still young and doesn’t seem to be agitating for a move away from Spurs, but head coaching opportunities may well arrive in the near future, especially with Davies and Mason thriving.